Quick and Easy Meal Prep for Breakfast + Lunch + Snacks!

Ready for a SUPER quick and easy meal prep?! No joke, it took me longer to find all the lids to these containers than it did it prep my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the work week!!

This prep could NOT get an easier:

1. Breakfasts: Breakfast for me is always either Chocolate protein shake with either a banana or pineapple. I get my daily dose of superfoods and it's done in 2 minutes flat! If you aren't a shake person, try making these overnight oats!
2. Snack 1: Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt and Frozen Berries. The frozen berries end up "melting" into the yogurt and it's soooo yummy! Fresh berries work too, obviously :)
3. Snack 3: Veggies and Dressing. I like to cut up fresh veggies and portion them out for the week. I did celery and carrots this week with Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch. I like to portion out dressing for the week so it's just grab and go!
4. Lunches: Chicken Burgers with Simple Citrus Slaw. I love these Don Lee Chicken Burgers from Costco but any  lean, no antibiotic chicken burger will do! I just throw a frozen burger onto the slaw and I'm good to go! Here is the Simple Citrus Slaw Recipe--so easy!!

Simple Citrus Slaw

Ingredients

• For the slaw:
• 1 cup pre shredded carrots
• 2 cups cole slaw mix or shredded cabbage
• For the dressing:
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add the carrots and cole slaw to a large bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over veggies.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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There you have it! Breakfast, lunch and snacks for the week!!

Greek Turkey Burgers

I LOVE me a good burger, let me tell you! These Greek Turkey Burgers are a lighter version is perfect for summer. I serve it up piled high with my delicious Tzatziki Sauce and a simple Cucumber and Tomato Salad. Serve it on a toasted bun, on lettuce leaves or just plain like mine!
This recipe serves 4-5 and is delicious the next day as well.

Ingredients
For Burgers:
1lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
For Cucumber Tomato Salad Tzatziki Sauce click HERE

Instructions
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands, mix together until everything is well mixed.
3. Form into (5) 5-inch burgers and place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
4. Broil for 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
5. Top with Tzatziki Sauce and serve with Cucumber Tomato Salad!

Think You Can't Cook? Try These 3 Simple, Healthy Recipes!!

Hey Foodies!
So you might be really good at EATING and LOVING food, but how are you at cooking it?? Or maybe you just feel too tired and busy to make a healthy meal for your family every night.
Listen, I used to be a disaster in the kitchen!! And I never, ever have any extra "time" on my hands! But I've learned over the years that cooking a heathy meal doesn't have to be scary or time consuming! Just focus on:

• Keeping things SIMPLE
• Having a rough "dinner plan" for each day of the week. Get my weeknight meal plans HERE.
• Focus on using REAL food vs. packaged and processed foods. Think chicken on the grill and veggies vs. Lean Cuisine :)

Here are THREE simple, healthy recipes you can make that your family will love...and they require VERY little (if any) actual "cooking."

1. 3 Ingredient Salsa Chicken: Easiest recipe on the planet and everyone in the house is happy! Put four chicken breasts in your crockpot with one container fresh salsa (from the deli) and a half a packet of low sodium taco seasoning. Cook on low 4-5 hours until chicken shreds easily. Serve in tortillas with lettuce, sour cream, avocado and whatever other taco toppings you love!

 

2. Sheet Pan Dinner: I LOVE sheet pan dinners because they leave VERY little to clean up and everything is done right on one pan. Mix and match your veggies and protein--i love Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage. If you want to make things even easier, nix all the seasonings and toss everything with a little store bought Pesto. This is my FAVE!

 

3. Breakfast for Dinner: This is a family FAVE of ours! You can do it however your family likes, but this is what's usually on our menu:

• Scrambled eggs with red pepper and cheese
• Pancakes: We LOVE these whole grain protein cakes!
• Turkey Sausage
• A big fruit salad with mixed berries

Check out this video and see how I used to be a disaster in the kitchen and how I turned it around!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-DNFv3y53k

Easy Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

If you're looking for a light, super easy, delicious and FILLING meal--look no further! You can whip up this easy salad with honey mustard dressing in minutes if you have leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken on hand. I love it for a quick and easy lunch :)

Use whatever quantities of the items as you like--one of the beauties of cooking for yourself is being able to customize your meals to fit YOUR taste!

Ingredients
Salad:
Baby Mixed Greens
Chicken breast, cooked and chopped
Apples, chopped
Dried cranberries or raisins
Crumbled blue cheese
Dressing:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Instructions
1. Whisk all ingredients in the dressing and set aside.
2. Combine all salad ingredients, toss with the dressing and serve!

Enjoy this light summer meal!

8 Simple Fixes to Beat a Sugar Craving

Ever had a sugar craving??!! Of course you have! Who hasn't??! Sugar--we've been told by many that it's the enemy these days! The typical amount of sugar we are "supposed" to consume (a number set by the powers that be) is around 25 grams for women. The average person consumes over 82 grams! Wowza! And it's so easy to do--there is sugar in EVERYTHING--from bread to salad dressing.

We ALLLLL have those times times where we just need "a little something sweet." Usually this happens to me after dinner. Instead of wolfing down a huge piece of cake (55g of sugar) or a candy bar (35g of sugar) or a Starbucks Frappuchino (about 46g in a Tall)....here are some other options that won't blow your daily sugar intake out of the water!!


Fix #1: Peanut Butter + Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
They are small, but mighty! This is my go-to snack for a sugar craving! They are great to throw in your purse for a snack on the go!

Fix #2: Protein Shake
I am telling you this is the #1 thing I give credit to for curbing my sugar cravings all day! Plus it's packed with vitamins, superfoods and pre and pro biotics. Chocolate is my favorite when I get an afternoon sugar craving, but this Strawberry "Mojito" one rocks my world too!!!

Fix #3: Greek Yogurt Cookie Dough
This "dessert" is one of my very favorite sweet treats! You can pull it together in about 1 minute!

Fix #4: Peanut butter dip with apples
I mix 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with about 1 tablespoon of water....stir until water is incorporated and it's nice and smooth. Drizzle in honey and stir for a smooth, creamy and SWEET dip with apples!

Fix #5: Dried fruit
It doesn't get much easier than this! The bulk containers in the grocery store have endless options. Just be sure to get fruit without extra sugar added. My faves are pineapple and mango.

Fix #6: Cinnamon apples with vanilla frozen yogurt
Throw some apples in the slow cooker with a little brown sugar (or coconut sugar), cinnamon and nutmeg and you have dessert for the whole week! Add a little vanilla frozen yogurt for an extra sweet treat!

 

Fix #7: Frozen Grapes
Nothing is easier! It's great to freeze grapes when they are on the verge of going bad--they're extra sweet when they come out of the freezer :)

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Fix #8: Healthy Dole Whip
I have never had REAL Dole Whip so I don't know the difference between this and the "real" version. All I know is that this is something I could eat every single day!!!

 

Super Easy Summertime Pineapple Salsa

Oh my goodness! How have I never had Pineapple Salsa before??! I cannot believe I have deprived myself for so long! This salsa is THE BOMB!!! I may or may not have eaten it by the spoonful when I made the first batch. It's suer versatile, too...serve with:

• Tacos
• Chips and salsa at a summertime party
• Over grilled chicken, pork or fish
• Nothing...and eat it by the spoonful like a salad or side dish :)

Ingredients
1 large, ripe pineapple, cut into small cubes
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced (to your heat liking)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of one lime
Salt, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients together, stir and adjust seasonings. Chill for about an hour to let the flavors marry together. It doesn't get much easier than that!

Easy Veggie Stir Fry

I absolutely LOVE stir fry!! They are slightly time consuming on the front-end with some chopping but what I LOVE:

• You can prep the ingredients beforehand and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook--the meal comes together in minutes!
• You can customize the ingredients any way you want!! This is my version but feel free to add any of your favorite veggies. It's one of the beauties of cooking at home :)
• Stir fries make awesome leftovers for lunch the next day!
• It's PRETTY! I mean, how pretty do these veggies look??!

Ingredients
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
Sriracha or red pepper flakes, to taste
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Brown rice, noodles or zoodles (zucchini noodles) for serving

Instructions
1. Whisk together first 7 ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet; add peppers and onions and stir until slightly soft.
3. Add zucchini and garlic; cook about one minute.
4. Add broccoli and the sauce; stir to coat. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more stock.
5. Cook, stirring every so often until broccoli is crisp-tender and the other veggies are cooked.
6. Serve over quick cooking brown rice, noodles or zoodles!!